Radiology
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     

DOI: 10.1148/radiol.2493080227
This Article
Right arrow Figures Only
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when eLetters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Stevens, K. J.
Right arrow Articles by Gold, G. E.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow Articles by Stevens, K. J.
Right arrow Articles by Gold, G. E.
(Radiology 2008;249:1026-1033.)
© RSNA, 2008

Technical Developments

Ankle: Isotropic MR Imaging with 3D-FSE-Cube—Initial Experience in Healthy Volunteers1

Kathryn J. Stevens, MD, Reed F. Busse, PhD, Eric Han, MS, Anja C. S. Brau, PhD, Philip J. Beatty, PhD, Christopher F. Beaulieu, MD, PhD, and Garry E. Gold, MD

1 From the Department of Radiology, Stanford University Medical Center, 300 Pasteur Dr, Room S-062A, Stanford, CA 94305 (K.J.S., C.F.B., G.E.G.); and GE Healthcare Global Applied Sciences Laboratory, Menlo Park, Calif (R.F.B., E.H., A.C.S.B., P.J.B.). From the 2006 RSNA Annual Meeting. Received February 2, 2008; revision requested April 9; revision received May 31; accepted June 20; final version accepted July 3. Supported by the National Institutes of Health (1R01-EB002524) and the Society of Computed Body Tomography and Magnetic Resonance. Address correspondence to K.J.S. (e-mail: kate.stevens{at}stanford.edu).

The purpose of this prospective study was to compare a new isotropic three-dimensional (3D) fast spin-echo (FSE) pulse sequence with parallel imaging and extended echo train acquisition (3D-FSE-Cube) with a conventional two-dimensional (2D) FSE sequence for magnetic resonance (MR) imaging of the ankle. After institutional review board approval and informed consent were obtained and in accordance with HIPAA privacy guidelines, MR imaging was performed in the ankles of 10 healthy volunteers (four men, six women; age range, 25–41 years). Imaging with the 3D-FSE-Cube sequence was performed at 3.0 T by using both one-dimensional– and 2D-accelerated autocalibrated parallel imaging to decrease imaging time. Signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) with 3D-FSE-Cube were compared with those of the standard 2D FSE sequence. Cartilage, muscle, and fluid SNRs were significantly higher with the 3D-FSE-Cube sequence (P < .01 for all). Fluid-cartilage CNR was similar for both techniques. The two sequences were also compared for overall image quality, blurring, and artifacts. No significant difference for overall image quality and artifacts was demonstrated between the 2D FSE and 3D-FSE-Cube sequences, although the section thickness in 3D-FSE-Cube imaging was much thinner (0.6 mm). However, blurring was significantly greater on the 3D-FSE-Cube images (P < .04). The 3D-FSE-Cube sequence with isotropic resolution is a promising new MR imaging sequence for viewing complex joint anatomy.

© RSNA, 2008